


Howard Stark Is Not A Princess

by MoMoMomma



Series: The Joys of Step-Parenting [5]
Category: Captain America, Iron Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Artist Steve Rogers, Frogs, Howard Stark does not have time for this shit, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Tony Being Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 13:11:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/761686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoMoMomma/pseuds/MoMoMomma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Howard Stark is not a princess, Tony is a child in a man's body, and Camden is a Stark through and through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Howard Stark Is Not A Princess

**Author's Note:**

> Kid!fic! Takes place pretty far in the future, post Iron Man but pre-Avengers. I'll eventually write more on Cam, he's such a cute character.
> 
> As always, enjoy!!

Steve blinked at the blur than ran past him giggling, looking over his shoulder in time to catch the edge of a raincoat before it disappeared around the corner. He set down his cup of coffee and turned to look at where Tony was coming through the doorway of the kitchen, grinning broadly and wiping raindrops from his face. The man was soaked through, with mud staining the cuffs of his pants.

“Playing in the rain?” Steve guessed, and Tony laughed, nodding as he threw himself down on a nearby stool.

“Yeah, there was a park by the groomer’s so Cam begged to be able to play for a little while.”

“Ah, fun. Good thing you brought his raingear. Thanks for dropping Astro off, by the way.”

Tony waved away his thanks, reaching out to snag an apple from the fruit bowl on the table and bite into it with a crunch, shifting to the edge of his seat distractedly. Steve shot him a quizzical look, opening his mouth once more and blinking at the finger Tony held up. He was about to ask Tony what in the hell he was listening for when a yell that sounded a lot like the scream Charlie Brown let out when he missed the football echoed down the hall.

Tony threw his head back and burst into laughter as Steve stood quickly, almost knocking his seat over. He sped from the room, following the overlapping sounds of Camden’s happy shouts and Howard’s tense words until he skidded to a stop in the doorway of Howard’s office, catching the door jamb to stop his momentum. He blinked at the sight inside and nearly started laughing as well.

Camden was behind Howard’s desk, holding a shockingly _massive_ frog with both hands towards his husband who was climbing up from the floor.

“Grampa, you HAVE to give him a kiss! What if he’s a prince and you’re the one who’s supposed to break the spell?!” Camden demanded and Howard growled at him, righting the office chair between them.

“A princess has to break the spell, Camden Stark. I am not a princess, nor am I going to feel particularly amorous towards any amphibians you might haul into my home. Go put it back where you found it.”

“I can’t, Grampa. I got it from the park by Astro’s barbershop and I can’t return it there!”

“Then let it live a happy life in Steve’s sketching garden. I don’t honestly care where you put it, but get it out of my office.”

Camden smiled and spun around, Steve moving quickly to intercept the boy. Cam gave him a wide smile, blue eyes flashing in the light of the room. He ruffled the boy’s spiky black hair, grimacing at the feel of wet hair gel and wiping his hand on his pants.

“Camden, you know that your Grampa meant he doesn’t care as long as you put it outside.” Steve lectured and Camden’s smile fell, his lower lip poking out.

“But Papaw, it will get wet outside.”

“Oh, pity.” Howard grumbled from behind Camden and Steve shot him a warning look, crouching down in front of the boy and stroking a hand over the croaking frog’s head.

“Frogs _like_ being wet, Cammy. In fact, moving him out of the mud and rain probably made him a little sad. That was his home and now he’s not in it anymore. How would you like it if someone took you out of your bed and put you in the forest?”

Camden frowned, regarding his frog carefully before sighing and looking back up at Steve.

“I have to let Mister Jefe go, don’t I?”

“Jefe?” Howard mouthed at him and Steve batted a hand in his direction, pressing a kiss to Cam’s forehead.

“Afraid so, buddy. But if you let him go in my garden like Grampa said, you can always go visit him!”

The boy huffed and nodded before striding from the room with heavy steps, his wet boots squeaking on the wood floor of the hall. Steve straightened and smiled at Howard who was stripping out of his button down with an irritated expression. He almost asked what his husband was doing before remembering Camden’s hands had been mud-covered and he had a tendency to literally tug on Howard’s shirt when he wanted the man’s attention.

“Did the mini mud-monster get you?” He asked with a playful grin, crossing to pull the huffing man into a kiss, propping himself against the edge of Howard’s desk.

“I’d like to know how he got into the house without someone cleaning him off first.” Howard said against his mouth and Steve smiled, pulling back to arch a brow.

“Hmmm, I’d say the accomplice of that particular crime is dark haired, brown eyed, and laughing himself sick in your kitchen.”

Howard rolled his eyes, tilting his head when small footsteps heralded the return of the mud-monster in question. Steve turned around to see Cam standing dejectedly in the doorway, having somehow lost his rain boots in the trip to set Mister Jefe free. He crossed to scoop the boy up, ignoring the way his shirt immediately plastered to his body, and rubbing his nose against the boy’s small one, grinning at Cam’s loud laugh.

“Come on, little buddy. Let’s change you out of these wet clothes, get your Daddy and your Papa, and see if me and you can’t charm Marta into making us all some home-made hot cocoa.” Steve suggested, setting Camden down and laughing as he tore off shouting for his parents.

“He’s a pistol.” Howard murmured, coming up behind him and pulling him into a slow kiss.

Steve made a soft sound into his mouth, hauling his husband close and linking his hands behind Howard’s head, pulling back to press a kiss to his nose.

“Gee, I wonder where he gets it.” He teased, laughing when Howard growled and, reaching up to cup his jaw, guided him into a rough and dirty kiss.

Steve sighed, letting himself relax in the slow drags of Howard’s tongue. Everything had changed once Camden had been born, though not all for the bad. Tony and Bucky had gone through a period where Tony freaked out every time Camden cried and Bucky, naturally, got so frustrated it all culminated in a screaming match in the middle of the foyer. They’d since settled, the one big explosion getting all the fears and anger and sadness out into the open and helping them to understand each other better. Now, with Camden quickly approaching his second birthday and, obviously, showing the extreme hyper intelligence common in the Stark line, everyone was a little more relaxed.

One thing that had never changed, however, had been how much Steve loved his husband.

Even though there had been a time there, where Howard refused to hold Camden, when he’d been seriously tempted to smack the man. That is, of course, until Howard simply broke down one night, telling Steve he had no right to hold Cam, no right to try and be a good grandfather when he fucked up so badly as a father. He’d spilled out his fears about Camden’s future, about being good for him and there for him and ‘Fuck, Steve, grandfather’s are the people that drag you on fishing trips that you hate then look back on and smile and I _hate_ fishing! I don’t even know how to bait a hook!’

Of course, Howard was also terrified to drop the tiny child, but that Steve couldn’t fault him for.

He drew back from the kiss, sighing softly at the look of love reflected in Howard’s eyes.

“Let’s go wrangle a mini-midget.” Steve said and Howard laughed, nodding as he let Steve lead him from the room.

They’d only gotten half-way across the foyer when the clang of pots and pans preceded a high-pitched scream.

“Madre de Dios! Why is there a FROG in the cabinet?! CAMDEN BUCHANAN STARK!”

Steve glanced at Howard and burst out laughing when Camden went sprinting by them, stripped down to his pants, shouting for Marta to please not remove Mister Jefe from his new home. Bucky came stomping behind him, cursing a blue streak and dragging Tony by his shirt, the younger man clutching a pair of pajamas and laughing so hard he had tears streaking down his cheeks.

“I do love our family.” Howard murmured, pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek.

“Even with all the insanity?” Steve asked, and Howard shook his head, starting off towards the kitchen where Camden, Bucky, Tony and Marta’s voices were all fiercely battling for airtime.

“No, darling boy, **because** of all the insanity.”


End file.
